Content Promotion Strategy: 3 Things To Do After You Press Publish

Welcome to the digital content creation club! You've double-checked your spelling, triple-checked your facts, and confirmed that each hyperlink opens up in a new window. Now, prepare for one of the most gratifying, yet fleeting moments of your entire life (or afternoon). It's finally time to press the publish button and share your ideas with the world. Publishing a new piece of content may seem like the finish line, but in the grand scheme of your content promotion strategy, it's just the beginning.

The real work begins when your digital marketing masterpiece is introduced to the deep, dark abyss of buzz-worthy Internet content. How will readers be able to recognize your polished and pristine contribution from the other shiny objects in the sea? Use these content promotion tips to develop consistently bright (and buoyant) digital content assets that bring readers aboard before competitors can capture their interest.

1. Keep A High Profile

If a digital resource goes live on your website, but there isn’t a trace of it on your official social media platforms, did it even happen? Of course it did, but it shouldn’t have. After you’ve taken the victory lap celebrating your new published content, pass the baton to social. This simple hand-off pushes your piece into dialogue with the other conversations that your brand is directing online. This doesn’t mean that every new asset will have its own social media campaign, but it does create an expectation for your audience to receive and respond to your content using a variety of outlets.

How To Promote Content On Social Media

Create a unique social media post to accompany each of your digital marketing assets as they go live. Every social media post should have an accompanying image and copy that drives traffic to the original post. Hashtags can help direct readers toward a larger campaign or correlate to the conversations that your customers and thought-leading peers are having. When your company wants to pin a Tweet, promote a Facebook post, or create a sponsored Instagram advertisement, you’ll have the framework of uniform content to work from.

2. Lend A Hand

Good content will shape customer and client conversations, but great content will give your brand an arsenal of industry-approved knowledge. The true test of quality content comes from being able to contribute to third-party conversations without abandoning your thought leadership credibility. This opportunity to carve out space as a contributor can add an extra layer of accountability within your team and pump up your reputation for your audience.

How To Become A Guest Contributor

The underlying goal of your general content marketing efforts should be to nourish an authoritative relationship within a niche audience. Once your brand has created a group of digital marketing assets that exhibit a clear understanding of industry-specific topics, encourage your team to pitch additional ideas to other sites. Send pitch emails or full submissions on topics that you may not have the space to explore on your own site. If you follow the thought leaders within your industry and consistently bring something great to the conversation, you’ll have a better chance at getting a seat at the table.  

3. Double Dip

Not sure what to do after publishing a blog post? Start by extending the content lifecycle with repurposed ideas. It may seem counterintuitive to revisit your starting point after you’ve passed the content finish line, but it's best to brainstorm follow-up ideas when the information is still fresh. Take note of the holes that you wish to fill in as new developments or updated stats roll in. As soon as the the initial post is published, your audience becomes an invaluable source of information. A tweeted or commented observation from your audience can add insight to your original post. For every multi-faceted blog post that you publish, envision how you want to make it relevant in the future.

How To Repurpose An Old Blog Post

If you’re ahead of the post-publish game, you’ll already have a flexible list of republishing ideas with your initial blog draft. If not, the research, edits, and interviews that contributed to your original piece are a nice springboard for thinking of ways to revitalize your content. The ideal blog post to republish is one that drove lots of traffic and sparked customer conversations. As you start to add in updated information to previously published posts, tackle the customer favorites first.

Your Content Publishing Priorities

The extrinsic value of your company’s digital content marketing efforts is earned in the moments after it’s published on your website. As customers like, share, and comment on your content, you get insight into the real-time conversations that are happening. Complete these post-publish tasks to develop a dynamic content promotion plan that is proactive and responsive.